Game for ages as Arsenal, Man City clash
It has been 19 years of waiting for glory, with Arsenal fans biting their nails, gnashing their teeth and sighing for the ‘next season’. It has been a loud sigh that has turned into a lament for the fans, a sigh of hope that the next spell would bring them the honour they desire the most.
On Wednesday night, before a global audience of millions, 90 minutes stand between Arsenal’s title dreams and yet another season of failure when they take on the might of Manchester City at the Etihad slaughterhouse in what has been billed as the ‘English Premier League Final’.
Two sides famed for their breathtaking attacking play meet in a game for the ages. It’s a fight between imperious champions and dogged challengers. It’s the night of reckoning, and both teams must show their mettle by the last whistle blow.
The Nordic Vikings, Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland, will lead their charges to a do-or-die battle that could shape the destiny of the title race. Across the United Kingdom, the war clouds have gathered, the stars have aligned, and the planets are about to collide spectacularly.
Football fans across the world are champing at the bit in anticipation of a thriller, while sports bars are sprucing up to cash in on the frenzy. Football is a billion-dollar industry, and this game is set to generate millions of shillings for players in the local entertainment industry.
The Gunners have been spat upon for too long and they know they must make themselves be seen. Neutrals are sure in the depths of their guts that Arsenal shall lose but football needs brains to think with, and not rumbling innards of wishful humans. If they lose, then they shall eat out their hearts and lament for the close they came to the helm. If they win though, 19 years shall have been washed away. All the past shall be forgotten if they pull off a miraculous victory tonight.
They have turned on the style to stun their fans this season. They finished fifth last term amid a turbulent campaign and few would have expected them to be where they are. They are by no means a finished product, but there’s a genuine belief that they could win their first Premiership title since 2004.
The signing of proven champions in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko has brought belief back to the squad. Their dream is, however, marred by the close marking they are getting from the City juggernaut. The champions have barely given them the courage to say “this time round, we are taking the league”.
With two games in hand and five points behind, City have stumbled just within range of catching up with Arsenal and spoiling the great run they have worked so hard for.
Many had expected Pep Guardiola’s men to breeze to their third straight title, but the surprise challenge from Mikel Arteta’s charges has threatened the Citizens’ domestic supremacy. One of the architects of Arsenal’s fantastic run is Bukayo Saka, a prodigious youngster who came off the club’s talent conveyor belt.
With 13 goals and 11 assists this season, the 21-year-old has brought back the swagger to the Emirates. And, despite the magnitude of the City clash, Saka doesn’t consider it a big deal.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the final, but maybe the semi-final because it’s massive, and so important as both teams are fighting at the top. It’s close so it’ll be a massive game,” he said recently.
His manager, however, didn’t mince his words. “I cannot wait, these are the games you want to play. When everything is at stake you have to go there to win,” Arteta told the press in north London. City have been imperious on home soil, losing just one of their 14 home games thus far.
Brentford are the only visiting team to win at the Etihad, while Arsenal haven’t won away at City since January 2015.
One towering man that could ruin the Gunners’ season is Haaland, a monster of a player who has enjoyed a sensational first season at City, scoring 48 goals in all competitions.
The Citizens have to take advantage of the Gunners’ recent stumbles. They sneezed away their two-goal lead at Anfield and scraped up a point; the pattern resumed against West Ham where again they lost their two-goal lead and stammered away with an irritating draw. They were being mauled by Southampton at home, only for them to salvage a stoppage-time draw.
They thus put mountains on their path. City is already emboldened by their sail into the finals of the FA Cup and after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League, they are already smelling a treble. The smell of three titles in one season is enticing and they shall not let anything stand between them and the attainment of these grand crowns. So, who’s your money on? BY DAILY NATION
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